meditation room

Finding Zen in Unexpected Places

The criteria that makes up a "perfect" home is always changing. Magazines, catalogs and television channels like HGTV and DIY tell us that not only do we need the sublime open kitchen/great room concept, we should have an outdoor living space. This is a decked out patio replete with rugs, coffee tables and couches with throw pillows. I always think that these areas are outfitted better than my first, second or third apartment. On top of that is the man cave. A blown up clubhouse with a pool table, bar and television with a screen as big as a garage. We women are allocated a space too (see below). Is it me or has the concept of home gone over the top? Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a home full of lovely things but I'm watching HGTV purely for the entertainment value and escapism from everyday life that it offers. If guys have a cave a gal should get a cove; a space to do her thing whether it be scrapbooking, sewing, yoga, mediating, etc. We've been enlightened by Oprah and Pinterest that we should have a sanctuary in our home. Press your nose up against the glass with me and do a little window shop dreaming here: http://pinterest.com/designsponge/meditation-rooms/

And then there's us real people, the average Janes and Joan Q. Publics. What do we have? It's the bathroom. And it's far from sanctimonious. It's not even deemed that off-limits to the rest of the world.  If we're lucky the door lock works. But oh, how we make the most of it. For mothers especially it's the only place of respite in an otherwise crazy world. It can be the one location where it's quiet enough to catch our breath, hear ourselves think or read a magazine. If we can steal away long enough we might even get a bubble bath or polish our nails. Sweet luxury! But hey, Zen is where you can find it and if that's in the Loo, so be it. Grab it when you can Girl!